Although tourists are being encouraged to take the new high speed trains in the upcoming National Day holiday, not that many tourists are buying tickets, industry sources said yesterday.

The high speed trains - like Japan's bullet trains - mainly travel to Jiangxi Province, but have not captured a great deal of the market because of the higher price for tickets and few destinations, said the Shanghai Shangyou Tour Agency.

"For example, a four-day trip to the Lushan Mountain usually costs 630 yuan (US$85) each by ordinary train, but for the high speed train passengers need to pay about 400 yuan more," said an agency official. "As well the high speed trains do not pass through many scenic areas, which makes it difficult for tourism promotion."

The agency expects more high speed trains will be used for more distant areas which will make them "more economic than traveling by air."

Zhang Qiao, a local sales manager working for a chemical products company, said traveling by a high speed train does not appeal to her, at least for seven-day holiday.

"It's fast but still slower than by air and I don't want to waste precious time on a train," she said. "I would be willing to try it during a longer holiday, and when it's cheaper."

(Shanghai Daily September 18, 2007)